


It's not over tonight

by Lady3ellewrites



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, One Shot, miraculous ladybug new york special
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady3ellewrites/pseuds/Lady3ellewrites
Summary: Ladybug decides to go after Chat Noir; she's not going home without him.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 22
Kudos: 179





	It's not over tonight

**Author's Note:**

> I've been feeling a little angsty lately, and I listened to Maroon 5's [Won't go Home without you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlMEGBsw6j8) one too many times. Here's the result...

“Chat Noir, no!” Marinette reached out, desperately wanting to grasp at her detransformed partner before he could run away, but her hand retracted as soon as she touched the white fabric of his shirt, like she’d been burned.

She turned away, tears gathering in her eyes and she covered her face with her hands as he rushed around the corner. She couldn’t see him. Couldn’t discover who he was. That was the rule.

“Tikki, what have I done?” She whispered as she slid against the sewer wall, cradling her knees with her arms. It came out more as a statement than a question, though. Because she knew exactly what she’d done. She’d driven the person she trusted with her life away. She’d almost killed Uncanny Valley with her harsh words - it wasn’t completely Chat Noir’s fault, she’d taken him off guard. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d turned into his worst nightmare.

She let out a sob as the thought crossed her mind. 

A small flipper stroked the top of her head as she let out her grief. 

“It’s okay, Marinette.” Tikki whispered soothingly.

“Except it really isn’t, Tikki!” She lifted her head from her knees and looked at her kwami, her vision blurry. “I feel awful - worse than awful! But whatever I’m feeling, I know he’s feeling a million times worse. And that’s not okay. Especially since he doesn’t even have anyone to talk to-”

She hiccuped as she remembered Plagg, trapped all alone wherever it was Kwamis went when the Miraculous weren’t worn, and scrambled for the ring that was still lying on the floor. She held it, reluctant to wear it. It was his, it didn’t feel right to take it. But she needed to make sure Plagg was alright. 

She slid it on her left hand, and a black blur swirled out. 

“Hey, Pigtails.” Plagg smiled sadly, his eyes glistening in the half-light.

“I’m so sorry, Plagg.” She caught him off-guard as she reached out and hugged him against her cheek. She felt Tikki joining in on the top of her head and extended her hand to hold her too.

“It was my fault, too. I should have made him stay.” Plagg mumbled.

“How? By threatening him with your cataclysm?” Marinette let out a small laugh, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

“I don’t know… But he’s my chosen, I should’ve held on tighter.”

“It’s neither you guy’s, nor his fault.” Tikki floated in front of them. “It was an emotional day. We’ve all made mistakes.”

Marinette looked down at her hands and toyed with the ring. “Then why does it feel like he’s the only one who’s being punished?” She asked quietly.

“You guys have a lot in common, kid, and one of those things is being good at overthinking. Nobody’s being punished, even though you’re both torturing yourselves with your thoughts.” Plagg patted her lightly on the cheek with a tight smile.

Marinette sighed and ran her hand through her bangs. “I didn’t mean what I said as a reproach - well yes, I did, but it was the shock and surprise speaking, really! Hawkmoth was here, Mayura was in Paris, and Chat Noir is here and… Am I unapproachable? Could he really not tell me he was leaving town as well? We could’ve found a solution, I would’ve found a way to deal with the situation even if he’d warned me as we boarded the plane! I mean, Luka and Kagami are still in Paris, I don’t like the idea of giving them Miraculouses when Hawkmoth knows who they are, but we could’ve worked it out!” She monologued, her breathing accelerating as she thought about the morning’s events. “And I’m still jet-lagged, I wasn’t thinking straight when I said those things. I just wanted to shake some sense into him, the lack of communication was irresponsible, not him _per se_.”

She closed her eyes defeatedly, replaying their conversation in her head. “I was far from perfect. I _am_ far from perfect. I make bad decisions sometimes, say awful things and - holy Kwami I told him I couldn’t trust him anymore, didn’t I?” She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. 

The Kwamis nodded slowly, avoiding her gaze.

“I need to go after him.” She scrambled to her feet and started pacing around. “There can’t be that many people in New York that fit his description, right? We’ll hit all the places where French students are staying. I’m not going Home without him.” She said with resolve. “Well, at least, without trying to convince him to come back with me.”

She didn’t catch Plagg and Tikki’s shared glance as she made her way towards an exit. _Should we tell her?_ Plagg’s seemed to say. Tikki shook her head. _She needs to find him on her own._

Marinette paused as she reached the bottom of the ladder, and took a deep breath.

“Tikki? Spots-”

“Wait!” The kwami squeaked.

“What?”

“What about the American heroes? Aren’t you worried they’ll take your earrings?”

“I don’t care about them. I need to find my Kitty, whatever the price. Tikki, spots on!"

She climbed up the ladder and yoyoed herself up a building. It was their ritual. Even in a foreign land, she felt like she needed the height to focus. She paced around, scrutinizing the streets below even though she knew Chat was long gone. It wouldn't be easy to find him. She'd be damned if she didn't try, though. 

An approaching commotion diverted her attention. Her eyes widened as she spotted a flying robot, scanning its surroundings while displaying a picture of her and Chat Noir and a phone number to report them. She ran and flattened herself against the far side of the roof access shed as the American and non Akumatised version of Rogercop passed right in front of her, alarm blaring. She had half a mind to yoyo him in to recruit him in her quest, but thought better of it. Maybe she did need to lay low.

She made her way to the rooftop door as discreetly as possible and tried the handle, mentally keeping her fingers crossed for it to be unlocked. The door swung open smoothly just as the first raindrops of a heavy shower landed on her face. 

As she exited the building under the confused gaze of the Concierge (it probably wasn’t a common occurrence for a young girl to step out in the pouring rain without so much as a coat to protect herself, especially when nobody had seen her enter said building), she knew exactly what she was going to do. She’d had the whole way down from the roof to think of a strategy. 

Chat Noir (she refused to think of him in other terms - what would she call him if not that anyway, it wasn’t like she knew his name; besides, he’d always be her kitty, even if he did turn her down - she really hoped he wouldn’t though, what would she do without him? They were a team, the best team, how could she ever replace him? She stopped and took a deep breath- she was hyperventilating again)- Chat Noir still had her toy cat’s remote. Which meant he could still contact her, if she played her cards right. She took out her phone as she steadied her breathing, and looked up a copy place center. She’d need lots of posters for her plan. And a burner phone, just in case.

\---

Marinette marched back to the Lafayette student house, struggling to carry the box of flyers she’d purchased while protecting it from the rain. She nearly dropped it as her eyes met Adrien’s from across the entrance stairs. He looked shaken up, his back hunched, and the rain made it look like tears were sliding off his cheeks. Why was he getting back so late? Hadn’t Chat Noir said he’d gotten him to safety? If so, shouldn’t he have made it back at the same time as the others? 

She shook her head to empty it of the accusatory thoughts. Adrien was a responsible person. He could make his own decisions. Maybe he’d just decided to take a stroll when the class was leaving the Museum, and ended up caught in the rain.

They stared at each other for a couple of minutes, barely registering their friends running out on the porch to greet them, not knowing what to say, what to do. 

She was about to speak when a black car drove up to them silently, the back door opening smoothly just in front of Adrien. 

“Adrien, get in the car at once. I should have never listened to your friend. This city is much too dangerous.” Gabriel's voice resonated in the empty street.

“Dude, no, stay!” Nino cried out from the top of the staircase, but Adrien obediently made his way to the car.

“I have to go.” He said defeatedly at the ground before turning towards her. “I’m sorry Marinette, you fought so hard for me to be here. I wouldn’t have minded being stuck here a little longer with a friend like you.” 

He smiled sadly, and it simultaneously broke her heart and made something click inside of her. She was here to find her lost kitten, what was another stray along the way?

“Then stay.” She said, impressed by the clarity of her voice. Adrien froze in his movement, standing back up and looking at her inquisitively. “Stay, Adrien. I need you.”

“You do?” He perked up, stepping away from the car. 

“Adrien, I’m not leaving you-” Gabriel started saying but the teenager slammed the door shut, effectively ending the conversation.

“Yes.” She felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she caught him gazing at her like she was his idol. “I’ve been recruited by Ladybug for something, we’ll need as much help as we can get.” She said with resolve before waving their friends over. 

“L-Ladybug?” Adrien’s face paled, when Alya looked over the Moon.

“That’s so cool girl!! How is she? How’s she finding New York? Do you think she could give me an interview?”

Marinette shrugged. “She seemed in a hurry. She and Chat Noir have an important task.” 

Adrien’s heart sunk in his chest. Ladybug had already replaced him. He wasn’t too surprised, although he’d hoped she would wait until she was back in Paris to choose someone else. It hurt all the same. He turned away, to hide the tears that collected in his eyes.

“We need to split into groups.” Marinette put the box she’d been carrying on the floor and pulled out flyer packets. “Alya and Nino, you’ll cover the Washington residence area. Juleka and Rose, you can do the Franklin building. Ivan and Mylène, you can go to the-”

“Any reason why all the places we’re going to are French student residences?” Nino asked. 

“She thought it would be easier for us to visualise the areas. I showed her our itinerary.” Marinette smiled. She was quite proud of her excuse. Seemed plausible enough.

“That’s quite a broad search for… A cat?” Alya frowned as she read the flyer and showed it around. 

Marinette felt a little attacked. She thought it was quite clever. She’d taken a picture of her cat toy and printed it next to a picture of a real black cat. There was a piece of Camembert with the toy as well, which Plagg had insisted needed to be on the picture - to say he missed him too. 

“It’s… A very important cat! A VIC, if you will.” She cringed internally, but knew Chat Noir would love it if he ever heard the description. “Ladybug was very insistent that we found him.”

It caught Adrien’s interest, at least. He took a closer look at the pictures.

“Return to Milady?” He read out loud, inhaling sharply. Everyone turned towards him. “That’s an… unusual name.” He cleared his throat. His mind was racing as he read the rest of the poster, recognizing the cat toy. Ladybug was bluffing. She wasn’t with a new Chat Noir. She was _looking_ for him. 

“We’re in America. Some people have weird names.” Marinette shrugged with a smile. She’d hesitated to put Bugaboo, which would have made it even more obvious for her Chaton that she was coming for him, but it was maybe a little too over the top. Plus, Alya might have connected the dots.

“Don’t Ladybug and Chat Noir have better things to do than looking for a lost pet? Shouldn’t they be looking for Techno Pirate with the American heroes?” Rose asked shyly.

“As I said, this is a very important cat. Finding him is top priority. The heroes delegated the task to them because they’re not particularly keen on their French guests getting into trouble during their stay.”

Nobody contested her answer, but she did catch a confused look between Jess and Aeon. She hoped neither of them would say anything about how Ladybug and Chat Noir were actually _persona non grata_ in New York. Aeon tilted her head ever so slightly and Jess nodded in reply, but neither spoke up. Marinette let out a sigh of relief, and resumed her distribution of the tasks.

“Adrien, you’ll come with me to the Eiffel residence, if that’s alright with you?” She concluded after sending everyone out with their package of flyers and the explicit instructions to glue them everywhere that was permitted. 

“Of course.” He smiled. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he seemed happier than he’d had earlier.

He picked up the flyer box and started walking with her. Marinette swung her arms awkwardly, trying to find something to say. She’d been on a confidence high when she’d walked up to the Lafayette residence, but she felt it dwindle as she thought about the plan and started questioning it. What if Chat Noir was already on his way to the airport? How would she find him again? Could Plagg potentially find his way back to him in Paris? It was taking a toll on her ability to be around Adrien as well. Soon she’d turn back into the blubbering mess she usually was.

She turned towards Adrien, hoping a discussion would slow the meltdown. “So… How are you feeling?” She asked, mentally wincing at how lame she sounded. 

Adrien looked at the contents of the box as he thought about his reply. He’d had the most awful day, but he couldn’t tell Marinette, especially since she’d brought a little sunshine in the middle of the storm he felt inside. She’d wanted him to stay. She’d given him the courage to ignore his father’s orders. (He’d hear about that later, of course, but it was nice to be with a friend for now, at least.)

She’d also brought the flyers. He was so torn about what to do. On the one hand, the morning’s events were still fresh enough in his mind that the mere thought of seeing Ladybug again, even without his Miraculous and the ability to Cataclysm, sent chills down his spine. On the other hand, it was clear Ladybug wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t dare hope that she wanted him back. Maybe she just wanted the cat toy remote control. His fingers brushed against it in his pocket. He’d forgotten to hand it over with the ring. He wasn’t expecting to use it, but knowing he still had a link with his Lady made him feel slightly better. 

“Adrien?” Marinette’s voice called him back to the present.

“I’m okay, I guess.” He smiled. 

“You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?” She looked concerned about him. She didn’t know if he should be happy about it or not. 

“Of course. Thanks Marinette, you’re an amazing friend.”

She mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out, looking down.

“Are _you_ okay?” She’d lost the twinkle in her eye that made her, her.

“I think so.” She nodded slowly, and resisted the urge to check the burner phone. Maybe he’d texted her already. “A little tired, no big deal.” 

Adrien wasn’t convinced, but if she’d respected his silence, then he felt like he should probably respect hers as well. He’d keep an eye out for her though. 

They reached the student residence Marinette wanted them to stalk out. She took out some tape from her bag, and Adrien gave her a flyer to stick on the first lampost of the block. They worked quite smoothly as a team, they both noted.

“Hey Marinette?” Adrien asked a couple of blocks further. “Did Ladybug look okay?”

Marinette paused, looking at him. She was tempted to belittle her feelings, but something in his eyes as he stared at the flyers compelled her to tell the truth.

“Not really.” Her lips pulled into a tight smile. “She put on a brave face but there was definitely something off.”

“Really?” He tried to conceal the relief he felt. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling bad.

“Chat Noir’s missing.” She said quietly. She wasn’t sure why she told him, but it felt good to get it off her chest.

“She told you?”

Her eyes snapped back to him. “No! Oh Kw-gosh, don’t tell anyone. I just… Deduced. From the flyers. And it looked like she was missing someone.”

“So… Do you think that she’d want him back?” He asked shyly.

“Of course!” She replied a little too indignantly for a simple bystander. “They’re a team. Ladybug and Chat Noir. Rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it? Ladybug on her own is too abrupt and… lonely.”

“But he must have hurt her, or almost hurt her, for him to quit like that. He must feel like she can’t trust him anymore.” _She said as much herself_.

“She can _always_ trust him. She told me she was out of it today. She said a lot of things she regrets and wishes she could take back. She’d really like a second chance, even if she knows it’s not going to be easy.” She sighed. “But she just wants to talk to him, you know? Even if it’s back in Paris, and if he ends up sticking with his decision. It’ll be hard for her if he does, but she’ll respect his wishes.”

Marinette felt like she was rambling, and like maybe she was saying a little too much, but Adrien didn’t question how she seemed to know all about Ladybug’s feelings from seeing her for five minutes. He looked deep in thought. She concluded her thoughts, thinking he was a good guinea pig for the speech she wanted to give Chat Noir.

“It’ll make her feel better to know how he’s feeling. It won’t fix everything, but she wants to say she’s sorry. Because right now, it feels like Paris lost the best of them both.”

Adrien blushed a little at the compliment. “So… How will she know if he contacts her?”

“They have a communication device, apparently. And if he threw his end away, she bought a phone specially for him.”

“That’s nice.”

Adrien’s hand brushed against the remote control again. If Ladybug really was as worried as Marinette painted her to be… They had a code. One signal meant all is good, just thinking about you. He could start with that, and then find a way to distract Marinette so he could call Ladybug from his phone, using the number on the flyer. 

He pressed the button.

Marinette’s handbag seemed to buzz, emitting a sound he could almost label as a meow, and she started. She opened her bag clumsily in her haste to get to the source. Out of his sight, Plagg and Tikki nodded frantically, pointing at the toy cat. 

Adrien was a little confused by the chain of events. Had he misheard? Could it be that Marinette carried the toy in her bag? He wanted to test the phenomenon once again before drawing any conclusions, but sending two signals out was his and Ladybug’s SOS. He didn’t want to panic his Lady on the off chance that it had really been a coincidence. 

Marinette laughed awkwardly, fishing her phone out of her purse. “Alya just texted me, she wants me to call her. I'll be right around the corner, okay-bye!”

She rushed off before he could answer. Adrien looked at the flyer in his hand. _Huh_ , he thought; _I guess this is my cue to call Ladybug_.

Out of earshot, Marinette stared at the burner phone intently. Chat Noir must have seen her poster. Would he have sent her a signal otherwise? It was so frustrating that she could not reach out to him. Would he call her? She wished he would. It was agony to wait like this, even though barely more than a minute had passed since her partner had manifested himself.

The phone started ringing, and she almost dropped it.

“Hello?” She managed to answer.

“Hi.” A voice, _his_ voice breathed out on the other end of the line.

“It’s you!” She said, relief flooding her words. “It’s him!” She repeated to the Kwamis, a large smile invading her face, although they’d clearly heard her the first time. “I’m so glad you called. How are you, Chaton?” 

“I’m alright, my Lady.” He felt his heart flutter at the excitement in her voice. _She was happy to hear from him!_ “You?”

“Well, erm…” Marinette fiddled with her shirt. “Better now that I’ve got a hold of you.” She winced at the cheesiness of her words, but she wasn’t lying.

Her words were followed by a silence, Adrien not knowing how to respond. He was tempted to turn on the Chat Noir charm, like nothing had happened, but it felt wrong. Just saying “aw” felt lame, and his mind blanked on any other answer. It felt nice to hear her breathe, though.

“Chaton, are you still there?” She asked worriedly when it had dragged on a little too long.

“Yes, sorry, I… I’m really glad to hear your voice too.” He whispered.

“Listen, tell me if it’s too soon, or not a good moment, but I’d really like to talk to you. Face to face.” She held her breath as she waited for an answer.

“LB, as much as I’d love to see you, I’m not Chat Noir anymore.” He said cautiously. “You need to move on, find somebody worthier of the cat Miraculous than I am.” His heart sunk in his chest.

“As the Guardian, therefore someone completely unbiased,” she tried joking, “I beg to differ.”

“But…” 

“Listen to me carefully, Chaton. I can’t imagine being Ladybug without you.” She heard his breath hitch, which she took as an invitation to continue. “I really want to say it to your face, though, can I please, _please_ see you?”

“Okay.” He raked a hand through his hair and kicked a stray pebble. “I’m near the Eiffel student residence.”

“I knew I’d find you there!” She exclaimed.

“What?” He frowned. The only reason he was in the vicinity was because of Marinette. Who’d been gone for a long time, actually. 

“Well, you know, we always hang out at the Eiffel tower… I guess it was more of an inkling. Anyway, don’t move, I’ll be right there.”

“Wait, I’m not transformed, remember? Do you want me to get a mask or something?” He eyed the cardboard box at his feet. Maybe it could do.

“Oh, right.” She pondered over what to do. She could send Plagg over, but she didn’t want him to feel pressured into taking the Miraculous back. Knowing his civilian identity could make sense; she was the Guardian now, she _could_ make up her own rules. But it would make it more difficult for her to say goodbye if he did stick with his choice. “Erm… Whatever’s easiest for you, I guess?”

“Could Plagg bring me my Miraculous, maybe?” He asked timidly.

“Of course!” She stuck the phone between her ear and her shoulder and quickly took off the ring. Plagg flew up to her with a wide smile, and she handed it to him. The Kwami flew off before she could add anything. “Beep me when you’re ready?”

“Will do, my Lady.” 

Marinette hung up and turned to Tikki, who nodded with a little smile. “Spots on!”

\---  
As soon as the little meow echoed in the empty street, she raced around the corner. He stood a little awkwardly in the middle of the Avenue, looking sheepish as he played with his tail. She didn’t give him time to say anything, running up to him and engulfing him into a tight hug. 

“I’m so sorry, Chaton.” She mumbled in his shoulder, feeling tears gather in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry too.” He replied rubbing his cheek against her soft hair.

“Will you… will you come back?” She bit her bottom lip as she waited for his answer.

“Do you really want me to?”

“Yes! Master Fu chose you and I. I don’t know what the rules are, but I think that if you quit, I need to quit as well. No Chat Noir, no Ladybug. Paris is defenseless.”

“Are you seriously using emotional blackmail to bring me back?” She could hear the smirk in his voice, although he was definitely moved.

“Maybe?...” She trailed. “But really, where am I supposed to find someone who’ll be as wonderful a partner as you are?” She held onto him tighter.

“I’m far from perfect, though.” 

“And so am I. Which makes us work so well together.” She reluctantly let go of him and wiped her tears, before catching his hand in hers. She stared at their tangled hands, before looking up at him again. “So?”

“You know I can’t refuse your kitten eyes, Bugaboo.” He smiled and cupped her cheek. “Of course, I’ll come back.” Her smile widened and he booped her on the nose. “On one condition; this was strike one. Another and I’m out.”

“Then I’ll be the judge of the strikes.” She booped him back.

Before he could reply, they heard a commotion inside the student residence. Hawkmoth was talking on the TV in the lobby. 

“Ready to finish this fight?” Ladybug asked him, holding her fist out.

“Let’s show these Americans how it’s done.” 

He nodded as he fistbumped her, and they both vaulted to the Heights. Hawkmoth and Techno Pirate weren’t going to get away with almost coming in between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this, don't hesitate to leave feedback :)
> 
> Find me on tumblr @2manyfandoms2count !


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